Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £16,966 to £16,966
Volkswagen engineering and quality in a better-value package, ample space with a huge boot, economical and high-tech engines, keen handling and an excellent ride.
Styling is staid to some eyes.
This is effectively a roomier Golf at a lower price. The Octavia is a complete and very capable car, and a very smart buy which should bury any lingering Skoda stigma for good.
You might expect the Octavia to feel like a Mk 5 Golf to drive, and there are certainly similarities on the move. The driving position is similar, too, and helped by a steering wheel adjustable for reach as well as rake. Some drivers may find the front edge of the seat too high, though - the ratchet-action height adjustment alters the rear edge more than the front. The top-spec models' multi-way electric seat adjustment overcomes this problem. The dashboard is no design revolution, but it's well laid out with clear instruments and easily-found switchgear. High sides, thick rear pillars and a narrow rear window make for tricky reversing, though, so the optional parking sensors could be worth having.
You're aware of the extra tail weight compared with the Golf, and the suspension is set more softly. The result is a fluid cornering style that's less crisp than a Golf's but which always feel well damped and controlled. You can feel the rear suspension helping to point the nose into a tight corner, and there's little tyre scrub or body lurch. The electric power steering is believably weighted and offers a fair feel of the road, too, without the anaesthetisingly viscous action of some electric systems. The smaller, lighter engines make for a sharper, more agile Octavia but even the TDI versions feel responsive enough to satisfy a keen driver. Braking is powerful, but it can be hard to feather the brakes smoothly when coming to a stop.
4Car has sampled three engine versions. The 1.4, with its modest 75bhp output, does not sound a promising prospect for a relatively hefty car, a prediction supported by the tardy 15.5-second 0-62mph time. But it proves surprisingly lively on real roads thanks to generous torque which reaches its peak of 93lb ft at 3800rpm. You need to work the engine quite hard on hills or with a heavy load on board, but it's smooth and quiet enough for this not to be too irksome.
The 1.6 FSI is quite a lot livelier, as you would expect, and proves to be the smoothest and least resonant application of this engine we have tried to date. It has a keen throttle response and an easy revvability, and it suits the Octavia well. The 2.0 TDI is the most powerful engine in the range at launch, and proves its worth by reaching 62mph in 9.6 seconds. More usefully, it pulls hard from low speeds, with minimal response lag, so the Octavia so fitted is a relaxing, effortless car on fast, challenging roads. It's not especially refined, though; the sound volume is low, but there's still an ever-present diesel thrum.
The TDI gets a six-speed gearbox in place of the petrol cars' five-speeders; all have a smooth, precise, easy shift via a cable linkage. We also tried the 2.0 TDI with the DSG transmission. This shifts manually with miraculous smoothness and instant response, the more so if you don't lift off the accelerator during the upshift. It's a pity there are no paddle shifters on or behind the steering wheel, though - it's an opportunity missed. Automatic mode is as smooth as a conventional automatic, and the Sport mode lets the engine rev higher before upshifts. There's no 'creep' when idling, so those used to a regular auto will need to make sure they don't let the Skoda slip backwards on a hill start.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Skoda Octavia Estate
wrote on 13 09 2007
wrote on 12 05 2007